In this episode, Cara and Chris sit down with Dr. Ben Auerbach, a Professor in the Departments of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research examines variation and evolution through the skeletons of primates and other mammals, applying quantitative genetics and functional anatomy to understand how traits evolve, especially in primates and Australian marsupials. He also studies variation in global human samples from archaeological and medical contexts, as well as the history and ethics of the biological and social sciences.

The conversation centers on his 2023 paper in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology advocating a “whole organism imperative.” Rather than analyzing traits one at a time, he argues that evolutionary questions require multi-trait quantitative genetic approaches that account for covariance among features. We discuss why trait-by-trait adaptationist stories can be misleading, how to distinguish genetic drift from selection, and what this framework reveals about human limb evolution and ecogeographic patterns.

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Find the work discussed in this episode:

Auerbach, B. M., Savell, K. R., & Agosto, E. R. (2023). Morphology, evolution, and the whole organism imperative: Why evolutionary questions need multi‐trait evolutionary quantitative genetics. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 181, 180-211.

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Contact Dr. Auerbach: [email protected]

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Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association:

Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc

Chris Lynn, Host

Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: [email protected], Twitter:@Chris_Ly

Cara Ocobock, Host

Website: sites.nd.edu/cara-ocobock/, Email:[email protected], Twitter:@CaraOcobock

Cristina Gildee, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow

Website: cristinagildee.com, E-mail: [email protected]